By Lance Jennings
IMPERIAL, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 15, 2025… Starting third, Ricky Lewis (Oxnard, CA) took command from Jake Swanson on the seventh lap and sailed to his third consecutive Avanti Windows and Doors USAC/CRA Sprint Car win of the season. Driving his #41 Coyote Candle Company / Mesilla Valley Transportation DRC, Lewis also claimed third straight win at Imperial Valley Raceway and swept the historic “California Mid-Winter Fair” races over Braden Chiaramonte, Swanson, J.J. Yeley, and fast qualifier David Gasper.
Gasper began the night by setting the standard in Woodland Auto Display / WC Friend Company Time Trials by posting a time of 12.577 seconds over the 26-car roster. Piloting the Kittle Motorsports / Gasper Racing #18 Art Klee / Valley Precision Products DRC, last season’s rookie of the year has two fast time awards in his career.
“The Cadillac” Cody Williams, defending series champion R.J. Johnson, and “Chargin” Charles Davis Jr. took the checkered flags in their 10-lap heat races.
Gasper was also victorious in the 12-lap semi-main at the Imperial Valley Fairgrounds. Caleb Stelzig, Brent Sexton, Dayton Shelton, Lonnie Oliver, Austin Ervine, and Verne Sweeney earned the final transfer spots to the 30-lap feature. Driving an unfamiliar car regularly driven by Grant Sexton, A.J. Bender used a provisional as well as Blake Bower to make a 24-car field in the main event.
Logan Calderwood earned the In Memory of Jim and Chet Gardner Hard Charger Award with a seventeenth to eighth place run in the feature. As a bonus, Logan will pocket an extra $100 cash from Steve Lafond / Tear-Off Heaven Fotos.
The non-winged USAC/CRA Sprint Cars will take a short break in the schedule before returning to action at Perris Auto Speedway (Perris, CA) on April 5th.
The Avanti Windows & Doors USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series thanks Factory Wraps, The Gardner Family (In Memory of Jim and Chet Gardner), In Honor of Wiley Miller Sr. & Wiley Miller II, Sexton Fire Protection, Silbermann Solar, WC Friend Company, and Woodland Auto Display for their support.
For more information on the Avanti Windows & Doors USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series, visit usacracing.com and the social media for USAC Racing. You can also find exclusive content on the USAC/CRA Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages.
AVANTI WINDOWS & DOORS USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR SERIES RACE RESULTS: March 15, 2025 – Imperial Valley Raceway – Imperial, California – “California Mid-Winter Fair”
WOODLAND AUTO DISPLAY / WC FRIEND COMPANY QUALIFICATIONS: 1. David Gasper, 18, Kittle/Gasper-12.577; 2. Braden Chiaramonte, 73B, OCC-12.976; 3. Tye Mihocko, 5, Mihocko-13.010; 4. Jake Swanson, 17X, Dunkel-13.040; 5. Ricky Lewis, 41, Lewis-13.108; 6. Tommy Malcolm, 5X, Napier-13.151; 7. Brody Wake, 78B, Wake-13.178; 8. J.J. Yeley, 2, Yeley-13.214; 9. Shon Deskins, 20, Deskins-13.373; 10. Austin Williams, 17W, Dunkel-13.386; 11. Brent Sexton, 44S, Sexton-13.389; 12. Caleb Stelzig, 21S, Stelzig-13.415; 13. Cody Williams, 44, Williams-13.443; 14. R.J. Johnson, 33P, Petty-13.513; 15. Charles Davis Jr., 47, Davis-13.593; 16. Connor Lundy, 97, Lundy-13.669; 17. Logan Calderwood, 6, Calderwood-13.676; 18. Elexa Herrera, 5E, Herrera-13.717; 19. Logan Williams, 5W, McCarthy-13.748; 20. Brecken Guerrero, 98B, Guerrero-13.806; 21. Lonnie Oliver, 22AZ, Oliver-13.936; 22. A.J. Bender, 21, Bender-13.994; 23. Verne Sweeney, 98, Guerrero-14.042; 24. Austin Ervine, 21X, Ervine-14.093; 25. Blake Bower, 17, Dunkel-14.136; 26. Dayton Shelton, 4D, Shelton-14.309.
SEXTON FIRE PROTECTION / IN HONOR OF WILEY MILLER SR. & WILEY MILLER II FIRST HEAT: (10 laps, Top 5 Cars Transfer To Feature) 1. Cody Williams, 2. Austin Williams, 3. Connor Lundy, 4. Brody Wake, 5. Jake Swanson, 6. Logan Williams, 7. David Gasper, 8. Blake Bower, 9. A.J. Bender. NT.
SILBERMANN SOLAR / FACTORY WRAPS SECOND HEAT: (10 laps, Top 5 Cars Transfer To Feature) 1. R.J. Johnson, 2. Braden Chiaramonte, 3. Logan Calderwood, 4. Ricky Lewis, 5. J.J. Yeley, 6. Brent Sexton, 7. Brecken Guerrero, 8. Verne Sweeney, 9. Dayton Shelton. NT.
WC FRIEND COMPANY / IN MEMORY OF JIM & CHET GARDNER THIRD HEAT: (10 laps, Top 5 Cars Transfer To Feature) 1. Charles Davis Jr., 2. Tye Mihocko, 3. Tommy Malcolm, 4. Elexa Herrera, 5. Shon Deskins, 6. Caleb Stelzig, 7. Austin Ervine, 8. Lonnie Oliver. NT.
SEMI: (12 laps, Top 7 Cars Transfer To Feature) 1. David Gasper, 2. Caleb Stelzig, 3. Brent Sexton, 4. Dayton Shelton, 5. Lonnie Oliver, 6. Austin Ervine, 7. Verne Sweeney, 8. Blake Bower, 9. A.J. Bender, 10. Logan Williams, 11. Brecken Guerrero. NT.
FEATURE: (30 laps, With Starting Positions) 1. Ricky Lewis (3), 2. Braden Chiaramonte (6), 3. Jake Swanson (4), 4. J.J. Yeley (8), 5. David Gasper (7), 6. Shon Deskins (9), 7. Brody Wake (1), 8. Logan Calderwood (17), 9. Austin Williams (10), 10. Tye Mihocko (5), 11. Charles Davis Jr. (15), 12. Cody Williams (13), 13. Connor Lundy (16), 14. Brent Sexton (11), 15. Dayton Shelton (22), 16. Verne Sweeney (20), 17. Tommy Malcolm (2), 18. Lonnie Oliver (19), 19. Caleb Stelzig (12), 20. Austin Ervine (21), 21. Blake Bower (24), 22. A.J. Bender (23), 23. R.J. Johnson (14), 24. Elexa Herrera (18). NT.
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**Brecken Guerrero flipped during lap 1 of the semi. R.J. Johnson flipped during lap 3 of the feature.
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-6 Jake Swanson, Laps 7-30 Ricky Lewis.
IN MEMORY OF JIM & CHET GARDNER HARD CHARGER: Logan Calderwood (17 to 8)
NEXT AVANTI WINDOWS & DOORS USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR RACE: April 5 – Perris Auto Speedway – Perris, California